Chronic Pain, Loss, and Suffering: A Clinical Perspective

Ian W. Toal is a registered nurse in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

This rather fascinating book examines how people respond to chronic pain
and events associated with and/or secondary to chronic pain. For
example, chronic pain can lead to the loss of work; the combination of
chronic pain and unemployment can be accompanied by a sense of loss and
a psychological recovery process that may or may not become
pathological. Atypical grief is defined as being either prolonged or
delayed, although atypical grieving might be expected in some
circumstances, especially when the grieving person’s life is
irrevocably changed. Grief-producing events include the death of a
spouse, the removal of a limb, or even a hysterectomy.

Chronic Pain, Loss, and Suffering will likely not aid readers looking
for help in coping with grief. Its chief purpose is to examine theories
of grief and test them against real-life situations. The result is an
academic book that, although well written and fairly easy to read,
includes many discussions about studies on grief and loss, as well as
examinations of the theories that form the foundation of the literature
on this subject. That said, Roy’s book will appeal to anyone
interested in the mechanisms by which people respond to chronic pain and
loss.